North East V/Line passengers most dissatisfied in state: report

A NEW RACV report shows V/Line passengers in the North East are the state’s most dissatisfied.

The Regional Growing Pains report released yesterday outlines the road, public transport, walking and cycling projects needed to support population growth across regional Victoria and its 10 largest cities.

The satisfaction rate among passengers who share the same train line for V/Line services to Wod- onga and Wangaratta was half that of those surveyed from other places.

Bendigo scored the V/Line train service 6.9 out of 10 and Ballarat scored 6.82, but those from Wodonga and Wangaratta scored as low as 2.54 and 2.53.

Wodonga’s V/Line rail campaigner Bill Traill was not surprised by the results.

“There are two broad areas of responsibility where there have been significant failures, the track is one of them,” Mr Traill said.

“We are well into 2014 and the North East Rail Revitalisation Project, which began in 2009 is still not finished.”

Mr Traill said the other issue causing dissatisfaction among customers was the trains and carriages themselves.

“The V/Line rolling stock is totally inadequate and there’s no end in sight for this problem,” he said.

“It’s going to be a big issue leading into the state election and there are no promises for funding to fix it.”

RACV general manager for public policy Brian Negus said the main feedback received was to do with the frequency of train services.

“The thing to stress for Wodonga and Wangaratta is about upgrading and increasing train services, and improvements to rail stations themselves, including parking,” he said.

“We need more train services and a better timeframe.”

One of the recommendations made in the report was an improvement to the reliability and standard of services on the Wodonga line.

The report has also highlighted the need for a bus service to the Wodonga railway station.